RIPversi: Great door game with RIP graphics!
Online game with windows, dialogs, mouse
buttons and online mouse support. Plays an
awesome game of Reversi on any RIP or ANSI
terminal. Runs under any BBS program using
DOOR.SYS, PCBOARD.SYS or command line.
FOSSIL and DigiBoard support, too. Multi-
tasker aware and multiuser compatible.
By Searchlight Software, world leaders in
RIP based BBS software products.

========================= by: Searchlight Software 516-751-2966 Voice
RIPversi 1.0 PO Box 640 516-689-2566 BBS
========================= Stony Brook, NY 11790 800-780-LITE Sales


Introduction
------------
Welcome to RIPversi. Unlike ordinary door games that run in Text or ANSI
mode, RIPversi uses the full screen graphics capabilities of RIP to display
a GUI environment, complete with mouse support. You've never seen anything
like it online! (RIPversi contains an advanced ANSI interface for your non-
RIP callers, too).

RIPersi is a classic board game that pits you against the computer. Like
most door programs, RIPversi works on virtually any BBS software that
supports doors, and can read a DOOR.SYS file, PCBOARD.SYS file, or command
line parameters to get the information it needs.


What are RIP Graphics?
----------------------
RIP graphics, a brand new terminal protocol developed by TeleGrafix Inc.,
is what lets RIPversi do its graphics magic. Nearly all the BBS vendors are
rushing to release new versions of their bulletin board software that
supports RIP graphics. Searchlight BBS 3.0 was released in March 1993 and
new versions of Wildcat!(tm) and PCBoard(tm) have been annouced for Summer
1993 availability.

In order to use RIPversi in its full graphics GUI mode, your callers need
to call your BBS with a RIP graphics compatible terminal program such as
the freeware program RIPterm. New versions of QmodemPro(tm) and Telix(tm)
have been annouced for Summer 1993 release.

RIP graphics will undoubtedly be coming to your town before you know it
and, regardless of what BBS software you are using, Searchlight's RIP
graphics products can give your callers a taste of that future today. If
you'd like to learn more about RIP graphics -- including how you can get
more RIP graphics features throughout your BBS -- please contact us at the
numbers listed above.


About Searchlight
-----------------
Searchlight Software is the world's leading developer of RIP Graphics host
products. In addition to RIPversi, we offer a RIP Games Pak disk with three
more games for $29, and a complete professional BBS software package with
integrated RIP graphics support. Please check the enclosed files ORDER.FRM
and SLINFO.DOC for more information about other BBS products we offer.


==============================
Running with Searchlight BBS
==============================

Setting up RIPversi with Searchlight BBS is as easy as can be. Copy the
file RIPVERSI.EXE to any directory on your BBS computer. In this example,
we'll assume that you are placing RIPVERSI.EXE in the C:\RIPGAMES directory.

Next, run Searchlight's CONFIG program and enter Searchlight's Menu Editor.
Press on the menu to which you'd like to add RIPversi, press to
edit the commands on the menu, and press again to add a new command.
The new command we are adding will be of type 'DOOR'.

Fill out the command screen as follows:

1. Command Name .................. RIPversi
2. Command Key ................... R
3. Description ................... Classic board game with RIP graphics
4. Minimum Access Level .......... 0
5. Maximum Access Level .......... 255
6. Require Security Attrib .......
7. Exclude Security Attrib .......
8. Require Preference Attrib .....
9. Exclude Preference Attrib .....
10. Help Levels ................... All
11. Door Command .................. c:\ripgames\ripversi.exe
12. Directory Path ................ .
13. Communications Support ........ Standard
14. Abort Method .................. None
15. Write Protection .............. No
16. Parameter File................. None
17. Pause After Door .............. No

Modify the access levels and attributes to suit your system. Substitute the
path in line 11 with the directory where you copied the RIPVERSI.EXE file.
Line 12 should be set to a period only, since RIPversi should be executed
from your BBS home directory.


============================================
BBSs That Support DOORS.SYS or PCBOARD.SYS
============================================

RIPversi will operate with any BBS that can create a DOOR.SYS or PCBOARD.SYS
drop file. There are utility programs available that can create one of
these files for BBS systems that do not directly support them.

In the following paragraphs, we'll use the term 'drop file' to represent
either a DOOR.SYS or PCBOARD.SYS file. RIPversi can use these files
interchangably and will load whichever one it finds first.

Copy the file RIPVERSI.EXE to any directory on your BBS machine. For this
example, we'll assume that RIPVERSI.EXE is located in the C:\RIPGAMES
directory. By default, RIPversi expects to be executed in the directory
that contains the current node's drop file. For most BBS systems, this
means that you can run RIPversi from a batch file with a single command:

C:\RIPGAMES\RIPVERSI

RIPversi will check the current directory for the drop file. If you cannot
execute RIPversi from the directory that contains the drop file, you can
pass the path to the drop file using the '-p' parameter on the command line.
For example, if your drop file is located in the C:\BBS\WORK1 directory, use
the following command line:

RIPVERSI -pC:\BBS\WORK1

RIPversi will work with FOSSIL drivers and DigiBoards. Simply add a '-f' or
'-d' parameter to your command line to engage FOSSIL or DigiBoard support.
For example, with Wildcat! IM systems use the command:

RIPVERSI -d

If RIPversi is not able to correctly determine the FOSSIL port or DigiBoard
channel from the drop file, you can pass that on the command line as well.
For example, to run RIPversi on FOSSIL port 0, use the following command:

RIPVERSI -f0

If you need to override any of the information that RIPversi reads from the
drop file, you can use the command line parameters listed in the next
section.


===============================
Running from the command line
===============================

If your BBS does not support PCBOARD.SYS or DOOR.SYS drop files, you can use
command line parameters to pass all the information RIPversi needs to know.

USER NAME = current user's full name (Required)
-cPORT = Standard COM port, ex: -c2 (for COM2:)
-sSPEED = Communication speed, ex: -s19200
-tTIME = User's time remaining in minutes, ex: -t15
-dPORT = Digiboard support with port number, ex: -d2
-fPORT = FOSSIL support with port number, ex: -f2
-bADDR = Non-standard hex base addr, ex: -b2A0
-iIRQ = Non-standard IRQ, ex: -i5 (for IRQ5)
-l = Enable hardware flow control
-o = Disable output buffering
-n = No carrier checking


Sample command lines:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

RIPVERSI Jim Barry -c2 -s2400 -t30

User's name is Jim Barry. Use standard COM2: running at 2400 bps. User has
30 minutes remaining.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

RIPVERSI Bryant Gumble -d2 -s19200

User's name is Bryant Gumble. Use DigBoard channel 2 locked at 19200 bps
(RIPversi does not need to know the callers actual connect rate). No time
remaining specified.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

RIPVERSI ToughGuy -b2A0 -i5 -s38400 -s20

Users name is ToughGuy. Use com port at base address 2A0, IRQ 5 locked at
38400. Time remaining is 20 minutes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

RIPVERSI Brian Wilson

User name is Brian Wilson. Run locally using no serial communications.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------



================
Using The Game
================

RIPversi is designed to operate best in RIP Graphics mode -- to see the RIP
graphics features, you need to run it from a RIP compatible graphics
terminal such as RIPterm. Although you can run RIPversi and use your mouse
in local mode, you won't see the RIP graphics interface unless you run from
RIPterm.

RIPversi also provides a colorful text based ANSI interface. The ANSI
interface is used if the caller does not have RIP graphics, or if you run
RIPversi locally. In ANSI mode, press the highlighted letters associated
with each command name to execute the commands.

To play the game, start by selecting a skill level from the skill level
dialog box. The skill level you select determines how much time the computer
is allowed to decide on a move.

The object of Reversi is to finish the game with more of your white pieces
on the board than the computer has of black.

Playing RIPversi involves:

(1) Move the mouse pointer to a free square and click.

To make a legal move, at least one of your opponent's pieces must lie
in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line between one of your pieces
and the square where you want to move.

Each time you move, the computer's pieces that lie in a horizontal,
vertical, or diagonal line between one of your circles and the square
where you move are flipped over and become your pieces.

RIPversi supports the mouse in RIP mode or in local ANSI mode. Remote
ANSI callers (or local users who do not have a mouse) can select a
position by moving the highlight box with your arrow keys, then
pressing Enter. On some ANSI terminals, you may need to put your
terminal into Doorway mode to use the arrow keys properly.

(2) Wait for the computer to move. Then make another move.

To see all the legal moves that are available on your turn, press the
'Hints' button.

If there are no legal moves available, your turn is skipped. Similarly, the
computer will skip its move if it has no moves available.

The games ends when there are no legal moves available. The player with the
most pieces wins.

At any time, you can quit, start a new game, or view the high score list by
pressing the appropriate buttons on-screen.


========================= by: Searchlight Software 516-751-2966 Voice
RIP Reversi 1.0 PO Box 640 516-689-2566 BBS
========================= Stony Brook, NY 11790 800-780-LITE Sales

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Telix is a trademark of deltaComm Development
Wildcat! and QmodemPro are trademarks of Mustang Software, Inc.
PCBoard is a trademark of Clark Development Company, Inc.